Zot Hanukkah
by Karen
Summary: Inspired by the fiction "Ubi Sunt Gaudia?" by nebroadwe; Edward Elric and Alfons Heiderich are invited to spend the last night of the Jewish Festival Of Lights with a very familiar face.


Zot Hanukkah

A drabble inspired by the "Full Metal Alchemist" Movie "Conqueror Of Shambala" and "Ubi Sunt Gaudia?" by nebroadwe

By Karen

(Munich, Germany, December 1922)

"Tell me again why we're doing this?" Edward Elric asked as he trudged reluctantly through the snow after his friend and room mate, Alfons Heiderich.

Alfons shook his head with a smile at the older boys attitude. He wasn't sure weather he was ready to believe Edwards stories about coming from a completely different world where alchemy was as real as science, Einstein didn't even exist and his younger brother looked almost exactly like him, but he had to admit it was strange how his friend knew so little about holidays like Christmas or Hanukkah.

"Because," he explained again, "The Nachashs have been friends of mine since I was a kid, and Marta's a member of our rocket team. The least you can do is be courteous if you're invited for the last night of Hanukkah."

Edward shrugged to himself. Sometimes he didn't think he would ever get used to this worlds strange religions and customs. Back in Amestris Judaism and Christianity no longer even existed and Christmas, Hanukkah, etc weren't celebrated... He wondered what Alphonse, Winry, Aunt Pinako, Teacher Izumi and the others back home were all doing right now...

It had been surreal, waking in this world to find people who looked almost exactly similar to those he knew; Loa, Bido, Dorchet, Marta, Hughes, Gracia and of course Alfons? He still wondered if this wasn't just a hell he'd been banished to for trying the forbidden again, or just a strange dream?

Soon the two boys arrived at a small, modest but well kept neighborhood, one of the few, which hadn't been completely damaged during the war. Alfons approached one of the flats and knocked on the door.

Marta Nachash opened the door and for a moment it was like being sent back through time to when he and Alphonse had teamed up with the snake chimera to expose the worst secrets of the State Military. He'd heard from Al that the Marta they knew had been murdered by Bradley after revealing his true identity as a homunculus, but here was her exact double, same features, same hair and eyes, standing in the doorway to greet Alfons and him.

"Alfons! Ed!" she smiled. "We've been waiting for you two! Come on in!"

"Happy Hanukkah, Marta!" Alfons greeted her as he and Edward entered the hallway, and she replied with an embrace and a quick kiss on Heiderich's cheek before her parents, _Herr _and_ Frau_Nachash, arrived from the parlor to greet their two guests.

"Hello, boys! _Gmar chatimah tovah!_" Herr Nachash welcomed them. "We're so glad you could come!"

"How have you been doing?" his wife added. "I hope _Fräulein_Gracia is treating you both well."

Edward put his hand behind his head sheepishly. "Oh yeah, we're fine. Gracia's a great landlady. I don't care much for holidays, but Alfons made me..."

"We're happy to come!" Alfons quickly interrupted before his friends bluntness offended their hosts. "I wouldn't have wanted to miss it. And last week we went with _Fräulein_ Gracia and _Herr_Hughes to Midnight Mass at St Ludwigs," he added, ignoring Edwards indignant look.

Marta made a face as she helped first Alfons and then Edward off with his coat, much to the younger boys muttered protests that he didn't need it in spite of his prosthetic limbs.

"_Herr_ Officer Hughes? Isn't he that cop who tried to get you guys to join the _Jugendbund_? He's a moron."

Edward and Alfons gave each other knowing looks. Although neither of them had anything against Hughes (they even hoped he'd work up the courage to ask Gracia out one day) they had both declined the _Jugendbund_. Ed, with his mechanic arm and leg made by his absent father, Herr Hohenheim Elric, wouldn't have been accepted in the first place. There were better and more interesting things to concern themselves with, like their rocketry projects; Edward because it just might prove to be his escape from this waking dream world, Alfons because he dreamed of giving his depression ridden, war torn country something to be proud of before the inevitable his doctor had sadly told him would come to pass, though he had restrained himself from telling Edward, Marta or anyone else.

"I'm sure the NSDAP won't last long as a party," _Herr_Nachash said reassuringly as they all headed towards the dining room.

Alfons nodded his light blonde head in agreement. "Right, it's just a temporary fever, like the war and the depression. Germany will overcome it."

As they entered the dining room, Marta lowered her voice as she spoke to Edward and Alfons.

"You won't tell _Vati _and_ Mutti_ about that fight I got into with those _Jugenbund_bastards, last week, will you? I'd never hear the end of it from them."

At this, Edward had to chuckle to himself. This Marta wasn't exactly a former soldier turned chimera, but her attitude- the Nachashs would call it "_chutzpa"_- was definitely similar to her Amestrian counterpart!

"Oh no, don't worry," Alfons smiled. "We won't."

The girl then poked him playfully in the side. "You'd better not, Heiderich, or else!" she added with a roguish wink, making him blush.

The Nachash's small dining room had been cleaned and tidied up especially for tonight. The table was set with the family's best tablecloth and china, and in the center was their treasured _menorah _or_ hanukiah_as they called it.

Edward counted nine candles in all; a higher candle in the middle and four lower ones on each side. Something to do with their being only enough oil for one night, but miraculously lasting for eight... Miracles... The people in this world were just as obsessed with the delusions of miracles and religion as as those in Amestris. Maybe even more so.

_Herr_ Nachash then called for everyone to gather around the table. Once _Frau_Nachash, Marta, Alfons and Edward were all there, he began the ritual for the last night of Hanukkah. He lit the middle candle, and as he took it from its holder to light the other eight candles his wife, daughter and even Alfons joined him in singing.

_"Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav vetzivanu l'hadlik ner (shel) hanuka."_

_"Blessed are You, LORD, our God,ruler of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to kindle the Hanukkah lights."_

Hebrew was a strange language, Edward thought- just as strange as German had first sounded to him before he mastered it in record time- but it sounded good to his ears, almost warm and comforting, like his mothers lullabies that Alphonse would hum to himself sometimes when he thought he was asleep...

_"Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha olam, she asa nisim la avoteinu ba yamim ha heim ba z'man ha ze."_

_"Blessed are you, LORD, our God, King of the universe, who performed miracles for our ancestors in those days at this time."_

Edward shook his head. What was getting into him? This was no different then that midnight mass he'd went to with Alfons last week. St Ludwigs had been well attended as usual on Christmas Eve, there had been long winded sermons in Latin and Christmas carols like_ "Stille Nacht" _and_ "O Tannenbaum"_ and everyone had wished each other _"Frohe Weihnachten!"_in spite of the hardships caused by the war and the depression. But he knew the whole thing was unrealistic and illogical.

That cute little baby in the manger would grow up to be abused, persecuted and horrifically crucified, and for what? So his sadistic murder could be joyfully celebrated four months later? And Martas own people, they too had been persecuted and driven out of almost everywhere in the Middle East and Europe, not unlike the Ishbalians. How long before the same thing happened here in Germany?

"Hey, Ed!" came Alfons's voice as he nudged him out of his brooding. "Ed, you can sit down now."

By now, every candle on the _menorah_ was lit and the family, save for _Frau_Nachash, were all seated and looking at him.

With an embarrassed chuckle, the young alchemist sat himself down and moments later _Frau_Nachash entered from the kitchen carrying two plates. One stacked full with what looked like pancakes, cooked onions and cheese, and another with sugar-covered doughnuts.

Edward watched as everyone clapped enthusiastically and _Herr_Nachash complimented his wife that she had outdone herself once again. Then they all raised their wine filled glasses to toast the season.

_"Gmar chatimah tovah!"_

Hungry, Edward dug into his own pancakes and took a small helping of the cheese and onions... Then he bit into his sugar covered doughnut and a wave of nostalgia and homesickness nearly overwhelmed him...

His mother... She had often baked doughnuts for him, Al and Winry, using the exact same cherry-flavored jelly-filling... She would sometimes take the three of them out to pick the cherrys with her and scold them lovingly when they would eat more then they picked and playfully spit the seeds out at each other...

The young alchemist shook his head again. It did no good to wallow in old childhood memories...

By now, everyone had finished eating and drinking and _Herr_Nachesh had turned on the family's record player. Upon hearing a favorite Hanukkah song, Marta got up from her seat and pulled Alfons up from his own chair to dance, in spite of his nervous protests that he wasn't very good at it, and her parents teasing her about what a shameless girl she was. Soon the two were laughing and Marta had gotten him to sing along with her to the Yiddish words.

_(Oy), Chanukah oy Chanukah_  
_A yontif a scheiner_  
_A lustiger a freilicher_  
_Nischt do noch a zeiner_  
_Aleh nacht mit dreidalech, schpielen mir_  
_Frishe heisse latkes, essen ohne a shir_

_(Oh), Chanukah, Oh Chanukah_  
_This is a wonderful celebration_  
_Happy and cheerful_  
_Does not exist elsewhere_  
_Every night, with the dreidels, we will play_  
_The latkes fresh while hot, we will eat it_

_Kumt kinder geschvinder_  
_Die Chanukkah lich voln mir untzinden_  
_Mir zangen "Al Hanisim", mir danken far die nisim_  
_Lomir alle tantzen tzusamen_  
_Mir zangen "Al Hanisim", mir danken far die nisim_  
_Lomir alle tantzen tzusamen_

_Come quickly children_  
_We will light the Chanukah candles_  
_We will sing "Al Hanissim", we will give thanks for the miracle,_  
_And we will all dance together_  
_We will sing "Al Hanissim", we will give thanks for the miracle,_  
_And we will all dance together_

Edward listened to the words, getting the same feeling he'd had at St Ludwigs that had made him run back outside into the cold without his coat... No, the candles in this apartment were not nearly as overwhelming as the lit incense of the church, but the music and all of its words about holy miracles in dark times were similar...

Religions may all be different, but they all did the same thing in the end; like con artists, they found something you wanted, something you were looking for, and they promised it to you at a price, but never delivered... At least with science and alchemy you could get something accomplished for the price you paid.

Edward looked around the warm, lit apartment room. _Herr _and_ Frau _Nachash had moved to sit on the worn sofa with their tea and were laughing together at past Hanukkah memories, like when Marta had cheated the first time she tought Alfons her favorite dreidel game when they were little; he had spun the dreidel and it landed on _Gimmel_, meaning he got all the nuts and chocolate coins from the pile in the centre, but Marta had insisted it meant he had to give all his own nuts and chocolate coins to _her_.

Now, Edward watched Alfons as he tried to follow Martas steps and sing along with her... Edward couldn't help but notice the look in both of his friends eyes when they looked at each other... He recognized it because it was the same look Winry would sometimes give him...

Just like Christmas, this was even more reason why he didn't belong here... He sighed brokenly to himself... He wished he were back in Amestris right now; back with Alphonse and Winry and Aunt Pinako and Teacher Izumi, even that bastard Mustang and the others, away from this strange world and all these familiar looking people who only made him feel more out of place and alone...

Just then, a fit of coughing from Alfons and gasps of worry from Marta and her parents brought him back out of his lonesome thoughts and made him stand up in concern. Alfons was on his knees on the floor and coughing violently.

_Dammit!_Edward was quickly by his friends side as Marta knelt and gently rubbed his back while her parents watched with concern.

"_Oy!_Alfons?" the girl cried anxiously. "Alfons, are you all right?"

"Alfons? Alfons, what's wrong?" Edward asked worriedly.

The young rocket engineer finally stopped coughing, inwardly relieved that there had been no blood, which the doctor had said would be a sure sign of the final stages of his illness... _"Just a little longer..."_ he silently prayed as he caught his breath. _"Please, just a little longer..."_

"Oh, I'm okay now, Ed," he assured his friend with a sunny smile. "Thanks, Marta. It's just a little cough."

Edward frowned. That hadn't sounded like a "little cough" to him- in fact, this was the third time this week- but he only nodded back slowly...

Even though the Nachashes were no longer alarmed, there was still a good deal of concern in their eyes.

"You should take better care of that cough then, Alfons, dear," advised _Frau _Nachash.

"That's right," Marta added as she helped her de-facto boyfriend up to his feet. "You don't want that to get any worse."

"Oh, it's just this winter weather," Alfons lied again, shrugging it off with a warm laugh. "You know how it is, coughs and colds everywhere. Don't waste your last night of Hanukkah worrying about me!"

That would be the very last Christmas and the very last Hanukkah Edward Elric and Marta Nachash would spend with Alfons Heiderich.

The End

Dedicated to my dear online friend, Ellie, AKA Hotspur or Dungeonwriter! Happy Hanukkah! I hope you like it even if I may not be one hundred percent correct on my references!


End file.
